Onward Martyrdom
by Cruz Cordero
Verse 1:
Let's take a look into this book called the Martyrs
Mirror,
a reflection of stories that can draw y'all nearer,
closer to glory of the Prince of Peace.
Having war cease from Italy to Middle East to Philly
streets,
it's really deep how Jesus keeps his peeps meek,
and yet, he keeps us strong, the word he speaks
is bond.
 He'll
never leave us nor forsake us;
he'll take us in his arms and he'll lead us on.
His peace will keep us calm,
so come along as we journey in honor of
the many men and women, empowered by the power
of
God's love; it gotta to be a part of us
if we're called his followers, this love should
be synonymous
with our lives not just our lips.
It's time to get fanatical with this gift that
God gives;
if this love is in you, then you would do what
Dirk did;
Dirk Willems, that is, a true servant, who worked
his
faith out, by putting his life on the line.
What was Dirk thinking? It was Christ on his mind.
What was Dirk drinking? It was a special kind of
wine,
instrumental for the mental, giving sight to the
blind;
a living light that shines bright, like the sunshine.
Man, if I can just sum this up in just one rhyme.
But anyway, let's get back to Dirk Willems:
A Christian imprisoned for the faith that he was
living,
facing execution, this man was willing
to extend a helping hand to the man pursuing him
to do him in, so those rulers can ruin him;
'cause he was an Anabaptist who was walking in
unison
with the person of Christ, "immersed"
in his life,
obeying his sermon is what turned him to a furnace
of light.
Those merciless magistrates full of malice and
hate
murdered this servant Dirk by burning him at the
stake.
A lingering death he suffered at a slow pace,
but his faith was steadfast, his soul was shown
grace;
into the hands of God, he commended his whole fate.
A showcase of his faith is what makes this story
great,
but the object of his faith, makes the story better,
so all praise and all glory goes to the Creator.
Chorus:
All praise and all glory to the Prince of Peace.
All these stories are testimonies of what peace
can reach;
Without his fingerprints in each, each story wouldn't
teach
such remarkable faith in the face of evil beasts.
Historically, history is his story;
God gets all the glory, you should just ignore
me,
and strictly get in awe with this sovereign God,
who's calling all of y'all to have y'all all involved
 in
his purpose and plan
for this revolving ball.
You should worship this Lamb;
he's such a flawless God.
Take a permanent stand,
you won't fall real hard;
take it personal and
take the gospel far.
Verse 2:
Let's continue with this next verse, let us converse
with the past, let's us grasp what we can learn
from these excerpts.
Historical records are not just for the experts;
they're there for those who want to learn without
lectures.
Now let's search Scriptures, let's us remember
that we're members of the urban church, serving
like the servant Dirk;
thermostats on the map, instead of thermometers,
regulating earth's temperatures, instead of changed
by her common errs.
I'm kind of irked by the lack of servanthood;
we need to practice what we preach, and not just
word it good.
 We
should be working the hood, like my homie Tom Skinner,
who was a gangster, but thanks to Christ, Tom was
made a winner.
He went from the Harlem lords to the sovereign
Lord.
Tom Skinner was a peacemaker, stopping war.
Stop and pause, let's talk about some other martyrs:
sons and daughters, who were slaughtered like lambs
on an altar.
We ought to be salt and light, walking with Christ.
We need to act accordingly, and not just talk real
nice;
be like Margaretha and Michael, true disciples,
brutally executed by self righteous psychos.
Michael's tongue was sliced off, it wasn't nice
y'all;
parts of his body was twice torn by hot tongs.
And what about his wife? This women was not soft;
she was later bound and tossed in a river and what
for?
For believing Jesus, for obeying his teachings?
For seeking to please him? Yes, those were the
reasons.
Even if they were heathens, is this how we treat
them?
or do we lead them to Jesus by repeating Ephesians
6: 10-17, by any means, put on the armor of God
and give praise to Elohim
Chorus:
Repeats
Verse 3:
 In conclusion,
let us all turn our attention
to innumerous amounts of men and women unmentioned;
to the many heat-takers and the many peacemakers;
to those who took heed of being Jesus imitators,
like Kelifa and Keros, Ethiopian heroes,
two leaders of a church known as the Meserete Kristos,
meaning Christ the foundation, Christ the solid
rock;
the socket that connects us to the power of God.
He's the Potter, you're not, every hour you got
is under total control, keeping your mindset locked,
reproducing Menno Simons, even out of hip hop.
As the clock goes tick tock, God is never going
to stop
given' us lots of guts like Felix Manz and Hans
Hut;
plus, life minus Christ sucks, there is no success;
without Jesus, life is just a bunch of meaningless;
it's like a sniper aiming at nothing and always
hitting it.
Are you getting it? If not, then peep Elizabeth
Dirks;
just listen to her story and get with its worth;
like in heaven, do the Father's will on this earth;
give him reverence, thank him for your spiritual
rebirth.
Chorus:
Be Encouraged!
Cruz Corderro, Tampa, Florida,
uses rap as a Christian ministry. He grew up in Philadelphia
as a spiritual son of Freeman and Naomi Miller. As an expression
of his commitment to Anabaptist/Mennonite faith, he began writing
this rap. An invitation to present this at the Philadelphia Stories
conference gave him the incentive to finish it.
Photos/captions:
Rap-Cordero1.jpg-
"All praise and all glory to the Prince of Peace./All
these stories are testimonies of what peace can reach."
(Credit: Laurie L. Oswald)
Rap-Cordero2.jpg-
"He's the Potter, you're not, every hour you got/is under
total control, keeping your mindset locked,/reproducing Menno
Simons, even out of hip hop." (Credit:
Laurie L. Oswald)
Rap-Cordero3.jpg-
"Dirk Willems, that is, a true servant, who worked his/faith
out, by putting his life on the line./What was Dirk thinking?
It was Christ on his mind./What was Dirk drinking? It was a special
kind of wine,/instrumental for the mental, giving sight to the
blind." (Credit: Laurie
L. Oswald)
Rap-Cordero5.jpg-Maria
van Beckum, 1544 martyr. " Stop and pause, let's talk about
some other martyrs:/sons and daughters, who were slaughtered
like lambs on an altar." (Credit:
Martyrs Mirror, 1685, MLA web site, http://www.bethelks.edu/services/mla/images/martyrsmirror/)
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